Hencoop



A. E. PICKERING.

HEN COOP.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT- e, 1921.

EatentedNov. 211, 1922.

Patented Nov. 231, i922.

UNHTED STATS E ATENT @FFHQE.

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Application filed September 6, 1921. Serial No. 498,873.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANGELINE E. PIOKER- ING, a citizen of the United States, residing near Viola, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Hencoops; and I do herebydeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description'of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to the raising of chickens by the natural method, and the object of the invention is to provide a coop for the mother hen and the brood of chickens, so constructed as to furnish clean and sanitary water and food; to allow for the separation of the chicks from the hen, when desired; to enclose the inmates during cold or inclement weather, and to protect them at all times from their natural enemies.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the coop that it may be packed in a flat, compact bundle, for shipment, and may be easily and quickly erected for use.

In the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, Fig. 1 is a front view in perspective of a coop embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a fragmentary View from another point of observation, a part of the coop being broken away to show internal parts. Fig. 3 shows one of the screen doors. Fig. at shows an end section, detached. Fig. 5 illustrates the bundling of the parts of the coop for shipment.

In practice the coop is best made of galvanized (or suitably painted) sheet steel. The sill 5 is here shown as a rectangular frame of angle-steel, within which is set the ends 6, the rear panel 7, and an intermediate front door-jamb 8. The rear panel is simply a flat sheet, preferably hemmed at the upper edge to give additional stiffness, and adapted to be bolted, as by stove-bolts, to the end sections. These latter are angled at 6*, front and rear, and may be flanged at 6 for stiffness, if desired. They 'are pierced at 6 to receive bolts 9, which fasten them to the sill, and in the same way to the roof 10, which is a flat sheet, flanged on all sides to enclose the other parts, The middle jamb for the doors 11 is most conveniently fastened in place in the same manner, This should be stiffened, as by hemming the edges. It is provided with a suitable doorcatch 11, and with means for holding the screen panels in place, here shown as simple buttons 11'.

To the fronts of the end sections are attached hinge-members 6 to be engaged by the pins of hinge members 12 of the doors 12. It will be understood that the doors may be detached by simply lifting them. On the opposite side of each door a lug 12 engages the catch. For the sake of stiffness, and also to give plenty of room for the screen panels, the edges of the doors are flanged, as shown. The doors are shown overlapping the jambs at both sides, and filling the space between the sill and the roofflange. This gives the openings roominess, which is desirable, but is mainly advantageous in the matter of economy of construction, no cutting into a sheet of metal being'required, nor an extra strip attached, to form a lintel. The doors are of course needful in inclement weather. At other times the closures are screen-wire panels 13 fitting into the front openings. The frame 13 of the screen is shown as made of folded sheet metal, from which lugs 13 may be punched to engage the edges of the door-jambs. They are fastened by turnbuttons 11". The construction admits of the doors being closed without removing the screens.

For sanitary and other reasons it is preferable to floor the coop. The floor is made in two sections, 14:, flanged at the sides, and normally resting on the edges of the flanges and the bottom flange of the sill. One of the sections terminates at one side of the middle door-jamb. and the other section a little short thereof, so as to leave a narrow gap at 15, to receive the lower edge of a partition 16, used to keep the hen out of the compartment occupied by the chicks, the one at the right as herein shown. Provision is madefor the removal of the partition, when it may be desired to throw the whole coop into one compartment, and the partition itself is partially cut away at 16. on one side, so that when this side is turned downwardly the chicks may run freely to the hen, but the latter cannot pass into their quarters. lVhen the partition is reversed the occupants of both compartments are confined to them, respectively. The partition is shown supported by an open fold 16 engaging a similar reverse fold 17* on a triangular fixed partition 17 attached to a the roof by bolts at 17* through a flange 17.

A trough 18, which is hung to a side wall by hooks 18*, through holes therein, supplies food to the chicks. A shorter food receptacle 19 serves the same purpose for the hen. Along the back of the coop inside runs a Water-trough 20 receiving its supply of water from a fountain 21 of a familiar type, employing a float to maintain a uni form water-level in the trough. The details of this fountain form no essential part of this invention.

Air for Ventilation is supplied through suitable port-holes 22.

The construction is such that the hen and her brood may be easily and conveniently kept in a healthy and thriving condition through the brooding season. It .is to be noted that the floor may be removed for cleaning, or When it is desired for the inmates of the coop to be on the bare ground.

For transportation the disassembled coop may be packed in a comparatively small, flat bundle, as shown in Fig. 5. In this case the bottom-plates are turned the other side up from that shown in Fig. 3, the back, ends,

'vide a passage-way for chicks only, and

the chickens compartments, a front door and a removable and reversible partition insertable through saidodoor, whereby the coop may be used as a single enclosure, a double enclosure, with a passageway between for chicksjor an exclusive double enclosure.

at. A knock-down hen-coop, comprising a rectangular sill-frame, end-sections with inclined upper ends to fit inside the sill-frame, a connecting backplate, an outwardly flanged roof plate to enclose the upstanding parts, a door-jamb attachable to the silland roof, detachable doors, a detachable floor in sections nearly meeting at one side of the jamb and a detachable and reversible partition held in place at the bottom by the floor sections, with means substantially as described for connecting the several parts.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANGELINE E. PICKERING.

Witnesses:

F. W. ARMSTRONG, D. L. W001).

till 

